Railroad-tie.



P O. BLAIR.

RAILROAD TIE 'APPLIOATION FILED JAIL 7, 1910.

Patented May 10, 1910.

FRANK O. BLAIR, OF FORT SCOTT, KANSAS.

RAILROAD-TIE career.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ma to, into.

Application filed January 7, 1910. Serial No. 536,809.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK O. BLAIR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Scott, in the county of Bourbon and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in RailroadTies, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railroad tie embodying a steel and concrete organization.

The tie embodies three distinct features in addition to effective details of construction, and consisting of a track rail seat or means for securely holding a rail applied on the tie; a tie composed of one piece of metal and so shaped or curved that a shim may be effectively interposed between the tie and ballast, the shim being securely held in place; and edge gutters or ways which afford complete drainage of the roadbed.

The disadvantages incident to track surfacing and leveling, owing to the well known inability to effectively replace the ordinary wooden tie by a new tie and maintain the same solidity of roadbed, and the impossibility of positively leveling rails, particularly where there is an inequality in rail depression by the use of ballast and depending upon the skill of the foreman and tamping laborers, are well known and likewise the expense in the use of ballast and the impossibility of leveling up with coarse ballast especially where there is a small depression or unevenness of either one or both rails of a track.

The primary object of the present invention, therefore, is to overcome the disadvantages just enumerated by providing a tie of such shape as to give a greater sup porting stability and to facilitate the introduction of shims to compensate for minimum inequalities in levels of'the rails of a track and thus materially reduce the expense of track maintenance, facilitate leveling of a track, and insure a solid support for the track rails to prevent the latter from having practically any depression after the rails are laid and secured in accordance with the features of the invention.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts which will be more fully hereinafter specified.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of a portion of a railroad bed and a track rail embodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through one of the ties and a cross-section of the rail and fastening therefor embodied in the tie. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of two of the ties and a rail, the section being transversely through the ties. Fig. 4: illustrates perspective views of the tie and fastening means for the rail, the fastening means shown partially detached.

The improved tie consists of a sheet steel structure bent into shape to form an intermediate arch 5 extending full length of the same and rebent at the lower side portions to form upwardly projecting walls or guards 6 which are straight and converge toward the top portion of the tie, but stand away or are spaced from the tie bottom including the arch to provide a space as at 7 for a purpose which will be more fully hereinafter specified. The opposite sides of each tie from a central point as at 8, see Fig. 4:, have a downward trend in opposite directions and are formed withtroughs or gutters 9 which extend fully to the opposite ends of the tie to provide a drainage means, the water or moisture flowing down the inclined sides of the tie to the gutters and by the latter directed to opposite sides of the roadbed. The rebent lower side edges of each tie at the point where the troughs or gutters 9 are formed, reinforce the entire tie structure and prevent misshaping or buckling of the same and also insure a positive reslstance to springing. Furthermore, when the ties are disposed under the track rails the edges of the troughs or gutters have contact, as clearly shown, and the successive ties, therefore, are braced one by the other throughout the whole series.

Each tie is provided with track fastening means disposed on opposite sides of the center and at a distance apart corresponding to the gage of the rails. Each fastening comprises a metal block 10 of a shape corresponding to the contour defined by the rebent side portions and arch of the tie and provided with outstanding downwardly extending cars 11 at opposite sides which isnugly fit over the upper portions of the inwardly inclined sides or rebent portions 6 of the tie and are bolted or otherwise secured to the said sides, the upper portions of the inwardly inclined rebent sides snugly fitting between the ears 11 and the sides of the block 10, as clearly shown by Fig. 3.

The block 10 has a lower arch 12 to fit snugly against the top of the arch 5 of the tie, and the legs 13 produced by the formation of the arch have their lower edges 1on gitudinally grooved as at. 14. Theouter extremity of each block 10-has an upwardly projecting fixed jaw 15 to fit over the outer portion of the rail flange, and the inner extremity of the block is longitudinally slottedas at 16 to receive ,a slidingjaw 17 having, side flanges .18 to fit in. corresponding grooves 19 communicatingwith thelower, portion of the slot 16; The sliding jaw 17 and ,the fixed jaw 15jare both undercut to respectively formoverhanging.

flanges 20,and,.2l. The sliding,,jaw 17 is inserted in the slot 16 andsecured in adjusted position by a headed tie rod or elongated bolt 22 which extends through openings23 and 2 1' in the jaw 17 and block 10 and secured by a suitable nut as 25 which has bearing. against the outer end of said block.

Prior to the introduction and securement of the-blocks 10 in each tie, the spaces immediately below'the legs 13 of the blocks between the arch 5 and the rebent sides 6 are filled with concrete as 'at 26, see Fig. 3, and the upper terminals of this concrete filling are-longitudinally grooved or concaved as at 27 which'form with the grooves 14 in the legs l3 circular openings or drain ducts 28.

After the fastening meansas explained has been disposed in the tie and the rails secured between the jaws 15 and 17 the con crete filling '29 is introduced between the rebent sides and the arch and the drain ducts 28 are continued therethrough to-the said fastenings of all moisture with material 7 advantages in maintaining. the said fastenings in practical condition. The ducts 28 extend onlyfrom the innermost portions of each fastening outwardly to the adjacent end of the tie and between. the fastenings the filling 29 is solid; This filling 29 is-also so applied'as to embed the free edges of the sides 6 and prevent the formation of obstructive shoulders.

After the ties have been-disposed in position and the rails secured by the fastening means therefor, the spaces formedbetween the rarchesb and the roadbed arefill'ed and the track leveled.

In the preliminary preparation of the tie thebottom surface of the arch is roughened, as at 30, see Fig. 3, to cooperate with a shim 31 of paper 01' other suitable material. The shim 31 likewise has the surface thereof adjacent to the bottom of the tie roughened to prevent slipping of the same or to insure retention of the shim in applied posi tion. By introducing ,a shim between the fillingor ballast in the space between the may be leveled or slightly raised from a minimum depressed condition and which would be impossible through the medium of ordinary tamping operations and the use of ballast, particularly if the latter be'coarse. It will be understood that the ties and track rails thereon will be raised by suitable means to introduce the-shims between the same and the roadbed. The possibility of slightly raising the track by the introduction of a shim or a number of shims between the bottom of the tie and the filling thereunder provides for a positive rectification of irregularities in a track bed without relying upon the frequent uncertain operations due to the impossibility of arriving at the result sought through the use-of ordinary ballast.

It is well understood that a track should 9 be level for high speed purposes and to assist'traffic generally, as the running will be smoother andwear of'the-engaged and engaging parts reduced to a minimum.

At any time under the provisions of the improved tie and shim, the track may be readily raised, if necessary, and if only one track rail requires adjustment such adjustment may be easily accomplished without correspondingly raising the remaining rail and giving practically the same inequality as originally existed and which frequently results by the ordinary methods adopted in leveling tracks.

It is preferred to use a shim made of paper or other material about one-sixteenth of an inchthick andtapered toward the sides, and by using a number of such shims it will be readily understood that the track may be raised one-sixteenth of-aninch or more, in accordance with the number of shims i11- serted'. By usingthe shims as just specified, surfacingin coarse ballast would be unnecessary, thus resultingin an immense saving in theuse of ballast. In the event that too many shims are disposed underthe track they could be taken out in the spring of the year andthe ballast tamped in from the ends of the ties.-

'In addition to the advantages hereinbefore specified, the improved tie and the particular manner of applying the same-insures retention of solidity of the .roadbed ballast eliminates the reliance upon theuncertainty bottom of the-tie and the roadbed the track tampingby unskilled laborers in addition to Lof raising and tamping by unskilled labor,

and gives perfect level and saves labor and ballast.

The improved tie combines all the desirable features incident to a properly laid railroad track, and the first cost will be ofiset by the saving in labor and material in maintaining the track in perfect level condition.

The fastening means embodied in the tie structure not only holds the rails securely to the tie, but acts as an anti-creeper.

()ther advantages will be disclosed from time to time by the use of the tie and its particular mode of application as hereinbefore explained, and it will be understood that modifications in the dimensions, proportions and minor details may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A railroad tie formed of sheet metal and comprising a body arch with rebent side portions which are inwardly and upwardly inclined in converging planes and spaced from the body arch, and a concrete filling disposed over the body arch and between the latter and the rebent side portions.

2. A railroad tie formed of sheet metal and comprising a body arch with rebent side portions which are upwardly and inwardly inclined in converging planes and also bent to form gutters along the lower side edges, and a concrete filling disposed over the body arch and between the latter and the rebent side portions.

3. A railroad tie having a filling with drain ducts extending from the opposite ends of the tie inwardly a distance within the latter, and fastening means held by the tie to receive the rails, the drain ducts extending to the inner extremity of the fastening means to relieve the latter of water.

4. A railroad tie formed of sheet metal doubled in close relation at the side edges and the doubled portions bent upwardly to provide drain troughs at said edges.

5. A railroad tie formed of sheet metal doubled in close relation at the side edges and bent upwardly to provide drain troughs at said edges, the upwardly bent doubled edges being further bent downwardly in reverse directions from intermediate portions of the tie toward opposite ends of the latter.

6. A railroad tie having oppositedownwardly and outwardly sloping sides and terminal edges which are doubled and the doubled portions bent upwardly to form troughs, the said edges at intermediate points being also bent upwardly to give the troughs a downward slope from the intermediate portions thereof toward the opposite ends of the tie.

7. A railroad tie having rail fastening means and inolosed drain ducts extending through the body of the tie from the fastening means outwardly to the tie ends.

8. A railroad tie comprising a body with upwardly and inwardly inclined side portions, rail fastening means consisting of a block having parts embracing the said side portions and also provided with a fixed jaw, and a jaw slidably mounted in the block to cooperate with the fixed jaw of the latter. a

9. A railroad tie having a body with upwardly extending side portions, a fastening means held in the body and adapted to clamp a rail to the tie, and a filling in the body, inclosed drain ducts being formed in portions of the filling under the fastening means and extending from the latter outwardly through the ends of the tie.

10. A railroad tie having an arched body with a roughened under side, fastening means for clamping the rail to the body, and a shimalso having a roughened surface and adapted to be interposed between a ballast filling under the tie and the under side of the arched body, the roughened surface of the shim engaging the roughened under side of the body.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK O. BLAIR. Witnesses:

M. H. MGENIRY, WM. S. LYNCH. 

